Shock as jobs are axed at Hardy and Greys

[Alan Roe]

Sadly the whole event is no surprise the stuff is overpriced and is not being made in this country Hardys made their name with high end high quality tackle made in Britain by craftsmen.

In recent years most of their gear is imported from China and the adverts all tended to run along the lines of 'Designed in Britain' and there was a sort of cack handed attempt to get their customers to think that though the gear was being imported from China it was in some way 'British' when clearly it wasn't and despite the fact that some of the gear was passable in use, Chinese made kit does not carry the Kudos that British made kit did. A percentage of Hardys customers bought with one eye on the collectors market in the future and in this arena the Chinese made kit was never going to pass muster.

Some of the gear was frankly not up to the mark either I have in the past slated the Hardy Conquest Centerpin and not without good reason. Several of their fly rods have had quality issues notably the angel range. If you are charging the kind of money Hardy's was for it's products you cannot afford to have quality issues.

Whilst I feel desperately sorry for the families who will suffer due to the loss of these jobs the company has only got it's management to blame for following such a poor business model.

[Dick Dastardly]

Same as I sumarised on the earlier thread Alan.

[Alan Roe]

To be honest budgie I wasn't even aware of any other thread on this subject but it appears that several of us have a similar clarity of vision regarding Hardy's it's just a shame for the workforce that the management didn't have that long term strategic overview and as a result has let them down.

[Phone]

All,

 

I might say, I don't know Hardy and Greys. I know any number of sporting goods companies who employeed craftsmen and had a very strong niche in high quality products. They risk getting into the more "mass market" and fell flat. I guess any direction is a risk but more often than not "getting bigger" is a chore. For sure, name alone will not carry a company forever.

 

Phone